Chester museum opens summer landscape exhibitions

Contents

Lead, stone and the marks left by time
Cheshire fossils from jungle to ocean
Opening times and entry

By Beehive Web Culture Desk

Two new exhibitions at the Grosvenor Museum in Chester will bring together art, geology and local landscape history this summer, with one show tracing lead mining and stone extraction and the other following Cheshire’s ancient environments through fossils.

Catherine Taylor Parry’s Earth Stories: Plwm/Lead opens on 7 June and runs until 27 September 2026 in the museum’s Coins Gallery. Echoes of Ancient Lands and Seas: Fossils from Cheshire opens on 20 June and runs until 20 September in Gallery 2.

Lead, stone and the marks left by time

Earth Stories: Plwm/Lead is rooted in Halkyn Mountain in Flintshire, North Wales, where histories of lead mining and stone extraction have shaped the landscape. Taylor Parry’s 2D and 3D works use colour, texture and form to respond to decay, erosion and the way physical forces alter materials over time.

The North Wales-based artist has developed a practice around the relationship between environment and human activity. She holds an MA with distinction in Fine Art from the University of Chester and was a prize winner in the Grosvenor Museum’s 2025 Open Art Exhibition.

Chester museum opens summer landscape exhibitions

Cheshire fossils from jungle to ocean

Echoes of Ancient Lands and Seas explores Cheshire’s geological history from the Carboniferous period, 359 million years ago, to the present day. The exhibition uses fossils from the Grosvenor Museum’s collection to show how scientists reconstruct past landscapes.

Objects on display include plant and fern remains from the Carboniferous jungles of Wrexham, marine microfossils from Saltney and fossilised reptile footprints from the Wirral. The show also looks at Cheshire’s salt deposits, the salt industry’s role in regional heritage and how industrialisation has accelerated climate change.

The exhibition is curated by Harriet Williams, a University of Liverpool PhD student and curatorial intern at the museum. Artist Val Hunt has also created a horsetail fern sculpture for the display using recycled materials.

Opening times and entry

The Grosvenor Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10.30am to 5pm, and Sunday from 1pm to 4pm. It is closed on Mondays, except Bank Holiday Mondays. Entry is free, with donations welcome.

Source: Cheshire West and Chester Council

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This article was written from the council notice announcing the two Grosvenor Museum exhibitions and their visitor details.

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